title: Enhancement of photodynamic cell killing (with chloroaluminum phthalocyanine) by treatment of V79 cells with the ionophore nigericin.
abstract: The K+/H+ ionophore nigericin dramatically increases killing of V79 cells by photodynamic therapy (PDT), when cells pretreated with 1 microM chloroaluminum phthalocyanine are incubated with nigericin before exposure to red light. Nigericin affects primarily the shoulder of the PDT dose-response curve, reducing the surviving fraction from 0.90 to 0.02 after a fluence of 7 kJ/m2 and from 0.80 to 0.0003 after a fluence of 12 kJ/m2. Optimal enhancement of PDT occurs when cells are incubated with 2 microM nigericin, at pHe 6.7, for 30 to 60 min before irradiation. However, significant enhancement of PDT also occurs when nigericin is added immediately before irradiation. Treatments with chloroaluminum phthalocyanine and nigericin, nigericin alone, or nigericin and red light are not toxic to cells. Cells treated with the combined agents display a rounded morphology 2 h after light exposure and lyse within 12 h. However, rounding of cells is not accompanied by severe depletion of ATP or by permeabilization of the plasma membrane to trypan blue. These results, together with known metabolic effects of nigericin, suggest that nigericin potentiates PDT by perturbing ion transport across either mitochondrial or plasma membranes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Varnes
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Clay
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Antunez
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Oleinick
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002463:Cell Membrane Permeability / Q000187:drug effects; D004357:Drug Synergism; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009550:Nigericin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D007211:Indoles; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents; C044797:chloroaluminum phthalocyanine; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D009550:Nigericin